Unity in a Time of Darkness: UC Santa Barbara’s ‘Mega Shabbat’ Takes On a New Meaning this Year

Outside of the Chabad house, hundreds of UCSB students and Isla Vista community members lined up and down the block of Camino Pescadero waiting for the beloved annual Mega Shabbat. Some wore kippot or kippot srugot (religious head coverings) and collared shirts or dresses, while others came in their school clothes. Some were deeply involved with Chabad and Hillel, some were just beginning to come into their Jewish identities, and some were not Jewish at all. But everyone was coming together for the purpose of Shabbat — sundown on Friday evening when it is finally that time to unwind, enjoy good food, and connect with loved ones.

Hebrew pop music seeped out of the front yard into the queue on April 5, where Rabbi Gershon Klein greeted friendly faces and introduced himself to new ones. Tables set with white linens and hors d’oeuvres spilled out into the parking lot to account for the 1,100 guests who RSVPed “yes” for this year’s Mega Shabbat — the largest number Chabad has seen since the tradition began in 2012.

As opposed to a regular Friday-night Shabbat at Chabad when anywhere from 150-200 students show up, Mega Shabbat is intended to introduce a wider audience to the Jews’ day of rest and to Jewish culture. As a shomer Shabbat, or someone who keeps Shabbat every week, “Shabbat is the time that I get to finally unplug and be separated from this digital world and be with my Jewish community,” UCSB Associated Student President Tessa Veksler said.

The annual event was started by Rabbi Mendel Loschak and taken over by Klein and his wife, Miri Klein, when they moved to UCSB’s Chabad in 2017. Miri spends days curating the menu and preparing the meal to ensure that none of her guests leave hungry. While Mega Shabbat has always been an occasion that UCSB’s Jewish community holds close to their hearts, the rise in anti-Semitism on campus adds another layer of importance this year. 

Since the Israel–Hamas war began on October 7 and especially after the signs were posted in UCSB’s MultiCultural Center, students have found it difficult to express their Zionist beliefs or Jewish identity on campus. 

“Whenever we put a table out [on campus], people come and scream at us and curse at us,” Students Supporting Israel President Eyal Wrobel said. “One of our goals this year was to try to create relationships with other clubs on campus, and it was really, really hard to talk to them and have discussions on campus.” 

In light of the tensions on campus, Mega Shabbat provided a real sense of solace for students who have been on the receiving end of anti Semitism. “To see so many people come together, especially during such a time of disunity and to see a little pocket of unity in the week is so beautiful,” Veksler, a prominent advocate for Jewish and Zionist students, said. 

According to Klein, UCSB’s Jewish community is unique in how diverse and united it is, and Mega Shabbat is a chance for outsiders to see that. All throughout the yard (and parking lot), smiling faces meet each other with hugs and greetings of “Shabbat shalom” as they catch up with each other. Students from Greek life and students from the Iranian Jewish Student Association helped each other bring food back to their tables, and Jews showed their non-Jewish friends how to light the Shabbat candles.

“We have Zionist Jews, we have non-Zionist Jews, and we also have non-Jews, and everyone comes and has fun and talks,” Klein said. He emphasized the acceptance and strong relationships between Chabad, Hillel, and other Jewish organizations on campus. Noting that Hillel Rabbi Madeline Anderson is one of his best friends, Klein pointed her out as well as other Jewish leaders who were also in attendance of Mega Shabbat. 

“I’m so proud of the Jewish leadership in our community, especially Chabad, for putting this all together and for working so hard because we need this,” Veksler said.

Along with Miri, a group of about 20 student board members spent weeks preparing for Mega Shabbat, reaching out to the community for table hosts, cooking, cleaning, and setting tables for more than a thousand guests. Even through the rain — which luckily stopped just in time for Shabbat — the team continued setting up outside. And, in proper Jewish motherly fashion, there was enough food to feed an army. 

The hard work clearly paid off. Not only did the food taste delicious and the event look beautiful, but a sense of love, unity, and fun radiated through the crowd. “To be able to come into a community with all my Jewish peers to celebrate more than just religion and come together with people of all different cultures and diversities on a Friday night, and seeing all of our wonderful smiles means everything to me,” Jewish student Kian Mirshokri said. 

Before everyone dug in to enjoy the spread of everything from salmon and salad to egg rolls and dumplings, Miri took the bema, or stage, to share some words of encouragement and lead the group in the prayers for wine and bread. 

“Right now, when we are faced with so much anti Semitism, especially across college campuses, it’s so important to be the light and spread that light despite what others may think or say to us. We shouldn’t let other people’s perceptions of us dictate who we are,” Miri said. “With that being said, continue to share your Jewish pride in any way that serves meaning to you.”

Throughout the evening, Klein reminded people to “keep smiling” (his motto) and made sure to take the time to speak with as many guests as he could. To not only Jews on college campuses but to “every single person who reads this,” Klein says they “should know that they can add light in the world by connecting with the people around them and doing good.”